The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1887-10-20
KAFFIR CORN CULTURE.
The Experience Of Practical Farmer
Over In Georgia.

know about hafhr corn, as actual
experience is the only thing worth
talking about to the practical farmer.
l read in a Liverpool paper the
grest success attained by an English
farmer, who had lived in south Africa
and brought the seed back to the
s.home farm" for trial. Not only Of
the amount '~ot nutriment as fresh
cut green food, but the nutriment
properties Of the bread made from
the -four or meal. l hsd some diff.
Guilty gin getting seed, but after per-
sistent efforts succeeded. The first
week in April l had the ground pre-
pared by a thorough ploughing and
cross ploughing, then had the rows
run off four feet each way. Although
the ground was rich piece, | had 3
generous amount of well-rotted stable
manure put in each hill, excepting,
perhaps, one-eighth of an acre; when
the manure gave out, there was lit
tie over one-half acre in the patch.
| had six Or seven of the small ker.
nels dropped in each hill, and Gov
cred lightly with 8 hoe. and a fine
shower of rain fell the day following.
In about a week the whole piece had
come up finely, which had run out
-ploughing both ways as soon as it
was the height of common corn ready
for working. The 10th day of June
! commenced cutting it for green
food for the "little cow" as we de-
nominate the little Alderney, who
has given US no end Of trouble jump
ing the pasture fence. The higher
we built the fence the higher she
jumped, till in sheer despair I de.
cided 10 shut her up in the barn
yard, where we could at least keep
an eye ON her. Not another mouth
ful of anything in shape of food was
given to the cow except aistle kiteh
en- slop. The cow only having the
range of the lane, and though she
had not had calf in about year
aud q half, she gave three gallons Of
milk daily, from which we made from
three TO four pounds of butter a week,
besides using plentifplly OF the milk
for deserts and cooking, and milk
set for cream for coffee. Once in
in two weeks, the season through, l
had the corn ploughed out. l was
careful in cutting it to cut above the
first joint. 1t stood the drought ad-
mirably, except the eighth Of acre not
fertilized. 1 let about that amount
grow up to seed after the fifteenth of
August to ensure well deve eloped
beads, and we got fine lot. I cut
the green food just as it was needed
at night, and in the morning only
when l found the seed stalk had
formed, when I cut and cured it at
once.
This year I put in about one and
one.hslf acres, experimenting as to
soil, sc; that grown on rich bottom
land attained height of twelve to
fifteen feet in two, months with i'm
mense heads. 1t will grow IN poor
soil, but will flourish in rich ground,
well fertilized, or bottom land well
worked. The ''little cow is now in
fresh milking and giving 4 to S gal
Ions daily, and is still coralled in the
barnyard with only Kafir. corn for
food; the horse and mule come in
for their share, while quantity with
full developed heads and several
hundred bushels are already stored
away. Last year we cut the last of
it in December, feeding from it until
January. This year we shall, Of
course, have much more to cut. 1t
takes quite sharp frost to affect it,
and I cannot see as it is any more
exhsusting to the soil than COM
mon crop of corn. Should you want
the crop particularly for the seed
heads, which fully takes the place of
common corn, let it develop at once
without cutting and you can secure
crop in few weeks, cutting it after,
ward for fodder, or you can cut till
the middle of July and then grow the
finest neads Of the season through
the dog-day rains. After securing
the heads you can still get quantity
of fodder if you continue to work it,
which is easily accomplished, as the
other crops are laid by. Even in the
garden it is of great value, as you
can drop the seed in as fast IS there
arc vacancies, the amount thus Sc
cured being qnite astonishing, for
you can put it in as late as 1st Of
August and cut till sharp frost. I
have not yet tried the meal for cook
ing purposes. WM. H. LYON.
"BsnKston Farm Griffin, Ga.